


catboy, loverboy

by luffnoren



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends With Benefits, He is wrong though, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Or not, Secret Identity, jeno has a secret, jeno thinks renjun is a cat, renjun has a secret, sugar spice & everyone has a secret
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29484822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luffnoren/pseuds/luffnoren
Summary: jeno was sure, his neighbor was a cat. specifically, the cat that only appeared at ungodly hours and never in the morning.but then, he was proven wrong.or was he?alternatively, jeno was certain that renjun's deepest secret is that he's the cat that has been licking his cheeks after midnight.untilthe feline appears at his door while the said boy is shoving his tongue down his throat.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno
Comments: 33
Kudos: 261
Collections: Challenge #5 — I heard a secret..





	catboy, loverboy

Renjun's secret involves having a pair of cat ears and a tail - Jeno _is_ certain. 

Well, he isn't technically _sure_ but his gut tells him so, and he’s a strong believer of his intuition. Jeno wants to think he's still well-grounded, and isn't only deluded with the fact that Renjun is as cute as a kitten, and _he's_ about to prove it.

It started when he first met the boy and Jeno _sneezed._ He never sneezed when he's with a human before unless he had a cold or it was too dusty. You see, as much as he abhors it, Jeno was unfortunately cursed with an allergy to fur even though he loves his furry friends. 

After that, it never happened again (re: sneezing whenever Renjun is around) but he is sure the boy _is_ hiding something.

He had noticed how Renjun never invites him to his room, despite it being just a single floor down from his. It had always been Jeno's walls that witnessed and heard their gluttonous cries after some mind blowing sex.

The first and the last time he caught a glimpse of the other's room was when Renjun had to get something really quick before they went upstairs together, and then Renjun dashed out from the room not even a minute later. He didn’t miss the scent coming from the room though, something floral and minty, and sweet, something so Renjun.

Second, the boy never stayed past midnight. He had wanted to tell Renjun to spend the night and eat with him at breakfast, but the boy always excused himself before he had the chance to open the conversation; like being late for curfew (to which he is sure the landlord doesn't mind), or an unfinished project he should continue.

Don't think he's being ridiculous, but according to the movies he had watched with Renjun, wolves usually transform at midnight, and cats and wolves are cousins, so it makes sense right? _Right?_ (Angel Jeno nods firmly in his head, covering devil Jeno's mouth as he desperately wiggles out of the other's grasp).

The only time Renjun stayed was when the older was too tired to do anything apart from the steamy kisses they shared on Jeno's bed. The next thing he knew, Renjun was already snoozing off to dreamland.

Jeno had smiled at him and left a lingering kiss on his forehead before he tucked him under his blanket. He got up to prepare for a shower then laid on his couch after, afraid that the boy would be uncomfortable sharing a bed with him, regardless of having had many more intimate moments than just literally sleeping next to each other.

The thing is, Renjun is not only the one who has a _secret_.

Jeno does too, but he has no plans on telling it. Not to his friends (Jeno is sure neither Hyuck nor Jaemin would let him live once he opens his mouth), not to Renjun - especially _not_ to Renjun. He knows revealing it to the guy would only break his own heart.

Honest to Jaemin's ass, Jeno isn't the deity's strongest soldier. He couldn't lift himself when he was drowning into a Renjun-shaped predicament. He couldn't stop his heart when it started to carve Renjun's name into itself.

He knew he was digging his own grave when he agreed to enter whatever this is that they were doing. "No strings attached," Renjun had said, "Sure," he replied. He agreed that they are both afraid of commitment anyway.

But, you can't really choose whom your heart chooses to beat for can you? If it beats, then it beats. You won't be able to do anything but follow it. And the moment that Renjun's lips pressed into his, Jeno knew he was doomed. 

He had stirred from his slumber when he felt discomfort pang through him from sleeping on a way too small couch to fit his figure. Jeno's eyes darted on his bed but Renjun wasn't there. 

Instead, a cat was peacefully sleeping on his bed engulfed with what he's certain was Renjun's garments and his blanket. If he wasn't too sleepy, he'd probably coo about how adorable it is. 

Still dazed from sleep, and with the belief that he was not in his right mind, he thought he was only dreaming because he's sure Renjun was there before he dozed off, not a feline. 

Jeno saw the cat shuffle as it buried itself deeper into the pile of blankets in search of warmth, then darkness clouded his sight again.

The next morning, he was sniffing loudly and Renjun was nowhere to be found. When he was changing his sheets, he found the cause of his morning dilemma in the form of stray furs sticking on his blanket.

  
  


Third, Renjun _loves_ to leave scratches on Jeno's back. It’s the other’s habit that Jeno had discovered from all the times they spent together. It stings like hell but Jeno doesn't mind.

It's the only thing that reminds him of the nights he spent with the boy. Because as soon as he opens his eyes, he's met with the cold space next to him as if Renjun was never there in the first place.

His mind sometimes tells him that sleeping with a very pretty boy - who he coincidentally crushes on upon seeing him drowned in his oversized sweater and dazzling jet black hair one morning at school - was all a dream.

Not until he stretches and feels a tingling on his skin, an ointment on the top of his nightstand with a note "i'm sorry :(" that is definitely Renjun's work. He knew this when the boy scribbled his number when Jeno's phone was stupidly out of battery while they were about to exchange numbers for their _arrangement._

Jeno's heart blooms with joy with the thought of Renjun caring for him. Though he knew it was just his nature to care for everyone around him. It wasn't special. Jeno wasn't special. _But he wants to._

It was also the same night when Jeno saw the feline once again. He had woken up at early hours of dawn when he felt a wet sensation on his cheek and a light weight occupying his chest. Renjun had long been gone, and Jeno went to the bathroom to wash away the stealth to prepare to sleep again - alone as usual.

He slowly opened his eyes and was met with the same cat from a few nights ago lapping up his skin. It meowed at Jeno when it saw him awake, but continued running his tongue on him in the most delicate way, as if soothing him. Like how Renjun does on his shoulder when he bites it too much.

Jeno was about to get up when his eyes caught a thin black collar wrapped around the feline’s neck, the wooden piece steadied at its center. He blinked the sleep away to look at it clearly. It was oddly familiar but Jeno couldn't point out where he saw it beforehand.

The feline might've noticed it and before Jeno could make out what was etched on the wood, it stopped its former activity and gently jumped off him, slowly walking away.

It stopped at the door then looked back at Jeno, and he surprised himself when he quite understood what the cat meant. He then stood up and opened the door for the feline, watching it pad its way through the hallway.

Jeno closed his door and decided to sleep again but ended up not being able to, as his series of sneezing presumably started. An evidence that a cat was really there and it wasn't just a sleep-induced figure that he had imagined. 

He was about to ask their landlord if they had seen the furry, but remembered their dorm doesn't allow their tenants to take in pets.

At first he had concluded someone was secretly keeping a pet and only allowed it to roam around at night since he doesn't see it anywhere in the morning.

His inkling went away for weeks, until Jeno was pinning Renjun on his sheets, searching for the other's hands when his fingers brushed on something in the brunette's wrist.

Jeno halted his movements to peek at the thing and discovered why the feline's collar was familiar.

_Renjun's bracelet was the same as what was attached to the feline._

_And he definitely saw the words spelt Renjun's name._

  
  


Confusion coursed through Renjun's eyes and Jeno wanted to do nothing but kiss him again. So he did - kissed him deeply, but with care until their lips were colliding passionately. Their action sent away Jeno's thoughts completely, lust successfully devouring him until his hips stuttered in no time and he felt Renjun's leg tremble around his waist.

Lastly, Renjun _purrs ._ He purrs whenever Jeno runs smooth circles on his waist while their lips are occupied with each other's - right now, for instance. And that's the last push Jeno needs before he decides to confront Renjun over his supposed identity.

Renjun’s hands - that were tightly clutched on Jeno’s shoulders - encircle around Jeno’s neck, pulling him impossibly closer as Jeno captures his lips. Renjun swipes his tongue on the roof of the brunette's mouth, successfully eliciting an electrifying hum.

"Renjun," a kiss. 

"I know," another one.

"You're a-" the door unexpectedly opens and Jeno's pulse quickens with the thought of someone walking in on them in a slightly compromising position. 

Screw him and his carelessness! He hadn't been able to close the door earlier because as soon as Jeno opened it, Renjun jumped on him there and then, kissing him breathless until he's sitting on Jeno's lap on the couch. He suddenly regrets placing his long couch near the entrance of his abode.

  
  


They both look at the door, clearly horrified, then there's a - 

_"Meow."_

  
  
  


Jeno stops, then blinks, looking back and forth between Renjun and the cat, hardly processing what's happening.

  
  


_Renjun is not the cat_ , but they're somehow related.

Embarrassed that they were caught by a feline, the two scurry up to fix themselves, and Renjun gets up from where he's seated (aka on Jeno's thighs). They stand up, and unknowingly, his hand hovers over Renjun’s waist.

The cat growls at them, and Jeno, who belatedly realizes what he’s doing, retracts his hand. He sees Renjun’s ears and nape that he was formerly kissing, flushed in red. He goes the same, when the blooming bruise on the boy’s neck, barely covered by the collar of his sweater peeps into view .

“ _What_ are you doing here?” Renjun asks, moving in front of Jeno to be closer to the feline.

The feline hisses, then wags his tail as if telling him to _hurry_. Jeno hears Renjun sigh before he looks up at Jeno apologetically.

“I need to go,” Renjun says, gesturing at the cat, and Jeno suddenly has the urge to punch something, _anything_ because of how Renjun looks cute with his own version of puppy eyes (though ironic how he was sure the boy was a cat, just a few moments ago).

Jeno's heart throws a wild rage (a symptom of love-sick), and before he knows it, a sigh escapes his lips, and Renjun’s face flashes with guilt, and Jeno doesn’t want that.

“I- no- _I mean_ , of course,” he replies, wanting to smack himself. This is why he should stay loyal to his bio textbook girlfriend, and avoid being a stuttering mess.

Renjun nods, and he looks hesitant for a moment, glancing at the cat behind his back for a second before he looks back at Jeno. Jeno is about to ask him what’s wrong before the smaller stands up on his tiptoes and presses a short kiss on the side of his lips.

"Please keep this a secret," Renjun murmurs, his lips slightly brushing against Jeno's.

The world stills for a moment before Jeno's mind absorbs _what_ just happened. He shakes his head, then he blinks once, twice, and sees Renjun dashing out from the door carrying the feline with him. 

  
  


He sighs dreamily for the nth time that night and scratches the back of his neck with a smile.

  
  
  
  


He was wrong after all.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_Or so he thought._

  
  
  


_"So?"_ the other cat that looks exactly like him meows as it busies itself licking its paws. 

_"When exactly do you plan to tell him?"_ it resumes.

The feline hisses before continuing to lick his fur. He suddenly has the urge to blame past Renjun for leaving it to future Renjun the moment he decided to tell his cousin about his growing _crush_ on the boy he's sleeping with, which is why she knows where to find him when he’s not in his own room _._

  
  


Jeno had seen them earlier. Renjun in his human form, while his _cousin_ was showing her feline. Jeno had let it pass, convinced that all his speculations were wrong - missing a tiny detail. 

_"Yi Ren" / "Ren Jun"_ are what were told in their collars.

  
  


Yi Ren enters the bathroom and Renjun checks the clock on the top of his desk. Five seconds 'till 3 - four... three... two... _one_.

Renjun feels his limbs stretch as his furry form disappears; the soft fuzzy fur that's been covering him magically retreats back to his skin and before he knew it, he's back to his human form. 

He stands up and catches a glimpse of his naked form in the mirror of his room. He hears the shuffling inside, then picks the clothes he had worn earlier from the floor and quickly puts it on his frame.

The skin on his stomach is still flashing when he hears the door of the bathroom clicks, and a tiny lady - with equally lustrous and thick black hair, skin glowing like the moonlight, and fiery eyes that strike through his - dispersed from it, probing an answer.

"You mean, how I'm supposed to be a feline at midnight and returns to who he plays around with at three in the morning?" Renjun questions his cousin.

He also grows a tail and cat ears while he's in his human form during the full moon, but he doesn't need to tell that to his fellow feline who certainly experiences the same thing as he does. 

Renjun lets out a grunt when he remembers how the two suddenly became cats.

The truth is, there was this boy Jisung he's assigned to teach by his professor Doyoung, who’s also a _witch_ like him, last summer - a month before he met Jeno.

Renjun had invited Jisung to his room to show him how to brew crafts. Coincidentally, Yiren also came to visit him, and Renjun’s biggest mistake was to allow Jisung make them tea when he had an important call coming, pouring the cat-potion in their cups instead, mistaking it as honey.

Jisung had freaked out when there’s suddenly a poof, and he’s faced with two identical felines, knocking down the cup of tea that he’s about to sip.

Luckily, Doyoung had countered the problem, casting a spell that made them feline only for a few hours in a day instead. He handed them each a wristlet with their respective names after - those that turn into collars when it’s time to show their felines, to determine who’s who, because of how similar their furs are. However, Renjun still has to face being a feline for three hours a day; Yiren for four (just because she drank a little bit more than him) for six months.

It had been okay until now, but leave it to his cousin to come and pester him in making her hypoallergenic potion at ungodly hours, causing the situation earlier.

"Well _that_ , and something more important that involves _pining_ when he’s not pinning," The girl emphasizes as she sits cross legged on the edge of Renjun's bed.

Renjun would scoff at his cousin’s attempt of witty remark but her words stop Renjun, and he guiltily looks away, slowly putting down his arms.

Deafening silence coursed through the room before Yiren finally snapped out of it, clicking her tongue as she climbed onto the bed. Opting to take a nap, than tending to her cousin's stupid, self-made dillema.

  
  


"Someday," Renjun finally says. 

  
  


"For now," Renjun starts again.

  
  
  


_"I'll keep it to myself."_

  
  


Jeno was wrong, too. Renjun's deepest secret wasn't him being a cat; but that he has grown feelings for Jeno.

**Author's Note:**

> hello if you reached this far, thank you for reading! this was my first ficfest and i enjoyed it a lot! thank you so much to the mods for organizing this and congratulations for another successful round 🥺
> 
> ♡ to my beta, [ vic ](https://twitter.com/potatosinapan?s=20), i cannot thank you enough. i told this already but i'm really blessed and grateful to have you TT i was too anxious but your words and encouragement kept me going and that i learned a lot from you 🥺 again thank you so much! i look forward to working with you again ♡
> 
> lastly, thank you for your reading and for leaving comments... >< i wasn't really confident with this but your comments really really made me happy ! 
> 
> anyway here r some easter eggs:  
> ♡ there's a line that is taken from an opm "kapag tumibok ang puso"  
> ♡ i really wanted to read yiren and renjun as cousins but found none so  
> ♡ and yes, they'd eventually end up together after some circumstances ! 
> 
> that's all hehe, i _might_ write a part 2 who knows 😼😼 ily and stay safe everyone!!!


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